Cushing’s disease

Canine hyperadrenocorticism (HAC), or Cushing’s disease, is one of the most commonly diagnosed endocrinopathies in the dog.

Pituitary-dependent HAC is usually a disease of the middle-aged to older dog, whereas adrenal-dependent HAC is seen most commonly in older dogs. Irrespective of the cause of Cushing’s, the result is always the same – more cortisol is produced than is actually needed, resulting in the slow development of a combination of clinical signs that are associated with the condition.

What are the clinical signs of Cushing’s disease?

Dogs are being diagnosed increasingly earlier in the disease process and often do not display all the ‘P’ signs at initial presentation. Any combination of symptoms could indicate disease.

How do you diagnose Cushing's disease?

The combination of signalment, clinical signs and routine laboratory findings will often lead to a presumptive diagnosis of Cushing’s disease. However, confirmation of the diagnosis requires a positive result to one or more endocrine diagnostic tests.

For help and support with diagnosing Cushing’s log-in here to the Vetoryl Diagnosis page

A range of support materials are available including a series of short webcasts with Dr Audrey Cook DACVIM DECVIM DABVP discussing the challenges of, and providing solutions to, communicating effectively with pet owners about Cushing's.

Supporting you in treatment

In addition to support for the diagnosis of Cushing’s an extensive range of resources is also available to help with treatment and monitoring:

For more information about Cushing’s

Monitoring Flowchart

Pre-Vetoryl Cortisol: An improved monitoring method for dogs being treated for Cushing’s

What are the treatment options for dog’s with Cushing’s disease?

Treatment of Cushing’s disease may be achieved by surgery (adrenalectomy or trans-sphenoidal hypophysectomy), pituitary irradiation, or medical treatment. But since surgery and radiotherapy are complicated specialist procedures, medical treatment is often the easiest choice.

Vetoryl, containing trilostane, is the only veterinary licensed treatment for pituitary- and adrenal-dependent HAC. More info about Vetoryl products

How do you monitor dogs with Cushing’s disease?

Pre-Vetoryl Cortisol (PVC) is an improved monitoring method for dogs being treated for Cushing’s disease. The method has been introduced following recent studies that showed a lack of correlation between ACTH stimulation test results and the clinical status of dogs treated with Vetoryl.^2,3

Log-in to learn more about PVC. Professor Ian Ramsey BVSc Phd DSAM FHEA FRCVS DipECVIM-CA of the Small Animal Hospital at the University of Glasgow presents a series of videos introducing PVC, discussing the supporting evidence and why you should consider PVC, and describing how to perform and interpret the test . Download the PVC treatment and monitoring flowchart or the Quality of Life Questionnaire.

To view the resources we have available to help support you and your clients log-in to view support materials.

If you are an owner and your dog has been diagnosed with Cushing’s disease please view our owner website.

Owner Site